CHAPTER 7: UNIQUE SEAL

"Warlord Garrick’s judgment was wrong."

Ray’s beast-taming seal was a unique seal, ranked second only to the legendary divine seals, the most exalted and coveted seals in all existence.

Furthermore, despite standing a step below that pinnacle, his seal bore the potential, however distant, to one day rival the divine, to become the kind of seal that could, through sheer force of will and power, subjugate even the most ferocious and untamable of beasts.

"I am not a waste. I am a talent. A talent with the potential to rival even a divine seal holder."

In the entire breadth of the Leon Kingdom, from the sunlit banners of the capital to the shadowed outposts at the edge of civilization, the number of divine seal holders could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

To speak plainly, there were only five.

One among these exalted few was none other than the Saviour of humanity, the Overlord of the realm, King Leon himself. He was a man who stood above all and bowed before none, who walked unshackled by fear or law, for his might alone was the supreme law of the land. The strongest living being in the known world, he could do as he pleased, take as he wished, and command as he desired, without a whisper of consequence. Such was the unshakable freedom a divine seal holder could claim if they were wise enough, cunning enough, and bold enough to play their cards to perfection.

The other four bearers of the divine seal were his personal disciples, chosen by his own hand, trained beneath his gaze, and molded according to his will.

Whispers, carried from lip to ear and passed through every marketplace and tavern in the kingdom, spoke of their lives within the royal capital, lives steeped in abundance and ease. It was said their needs were met before they could even voice them; that from the highest ministers of the royal court to the proudest of the great noble houses, all vied to please them. They were fed on the choicest resources, cultivated with painstaking care, and adorned with the love and respect of the realm, for they were fated to stand as humanity’s mightiest weapons against the demonic beasts, just like their master and king.

If fate ever placed a divine seal in Ray’s hand, such a life would be his to claim. Yet he knew well that the odds of such a miracle were slim, perilously slim.

Even so, he had no cause to lament. For what he possessed was by no means a mark to be dismissed.

A unique seal capable of duplicating the seals of others and absorbing their effects was nothing to scoff at. After a number of upgrades, it could prove to be more versatile and superior than a divine seal.

As the bearer of such a seal, Ray’s potential was seemingly boundless. However, his future achievements would be firmly tied to his actions. If he toiled without rest, pursued growth without fear, and dared to reach into the most treacherous lands, waters, and moments to seize fortune, he might one day ascend to stand among the greatest beast tamers the world had ever known. But if he lacked the courage to brave danger, then he would drift, unnoticed and unremarkable, into the cold anonymity of mediocrity.

"If my seal hadn’t been mistaken for a worthless piece of junk and its true value was recognized, my status wouldn’t still be so lowly."

However, Ray knew Garrick could not truly be blamed.

Unlike him, Garrick couldn’t see hidden information.

All he knew was that the former Crown Prince himself had awakened the very same seal, and that had inevitably led to his fall from grace

Before awakening, the former Crown Prince was the darling of the kingdom, known for his intelligence, good looks, and kind heart. He had stood second to none but the king himself, a man whose word was law and whose authority was unquestioned, but the day he awakened his all-black beast taming seal, he was stripped of title and power, cast down by law to the station of a mere commoner overnight.

So, when Garrick saw Ray awakening that same seal, he branded him a failure, and in doing so, unwittingly set him up as the butt of every jest and the subject of every sneer in town.

"If not for the system," Ray thought to himself, "I never would have known the truth of what this seal could do. I would have been like all the rest, pitying myself and cursing my own fate."

"Now, if I can just get my hands on a beast tamer’s seal... I can begin taming beasts, claim the title of beast tamer for myself, and take my first true step toward power and authority. But that isn’t going to be easy."

Ray’s unique seal had the rare ability to absorb the seals of beast tamers, provided there was no resistance.

And therein lay the problem.

A beast tamer would rather die than surrender their seal. They would fight to their last breath to keep it from being stolen!

Furthermore, one’s seal was stored in the confine of one’s mind, so it was very hard to catch a tamer off guard and steal their seal.

Anyways, Ray didn’t have the time to worry about how he would get it.

After all, there was a far greater problem looming over his head, clearly displayed in the screen floating before him.

Ray

Stats:

Strength: 1

Stamina: 1

Agility: 1

Soul Quality: 10

Magic Power: 100

Debuffs: Poisoned

Warning: Residual traces of Soul-Dispersing Poison detected. If not neutralized soon, it will erode your soul and permanently damage your perfect innate magic power and capacity of thinking, turning you into a retard.